Epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics of four cases of monkeypox support transmission through sexual contact, Italy, May 2022

• Published in: Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles Vol. 27; no. 22; p. 1
• Main Authors: Antinori, Andrea, Mazzotta, Valentina, Vita, Serena, Carletti, Fabrizio, Tacconi, Danilo, Lapini, Laura Emma, D’Abramo, Alessandra, Cicalini, Stefania, Lapa, Daniele, Pittalis, Silvia, Puro, Vincenzo, Rivano Capparuccia, Marco, Giombini, Emanuela, Gruber, Cesare Ernesto Maria, Garbuglia, Anna Rosa, Marani, Alessandra, Vairo, Francesco, Girardi, Enrico, Vaia, Francesco, Nicastri, Emanuele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden Centre Europeen pour la Surveillance Epidemiologique du SIDA (European Centre for the Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS) 02.06.2022; European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• Subjects: Antiviral drugs; Disease Outbreaks; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Humans; Male; Monkeypox virus; Mpox; Mpox (monkeypox) - epidemiology; Mpox (monkeypox) - transmission; Rapid Communication; Semen; Sexual Behavior; Sexual intercourse; Viral infections; Virology; Young Adult; Italy; seminal fluid; MSM; emerging infectious diseases; monkeypox; west African clade
• ISSN: 1560-7917; 1025-496X; 1560-7917
• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.22.2200421

Since May 2022, an outbreak of monkeypox has been ongoing in non-endemic countries. We report four cases in Italy in young adult men reporting condomless sexual intercourse. The patients are in good clinical condition with no need for specific antiviral drugs. Biological samples from seminal fluid were positive for monkeypox viral DNA. For many other viruses found in semen there is no evidence of sexual transmission. The possibility of sexual transmission of monkeypox virus needs to be investigated.